Operating mechanism for shaft doors



March 8 1927.

F. A. BOEDTCHER OPERATiNG MECHANISM FOR SHAFT DOORS Filed March 9. 1925 1N VEN TOR Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SHAFT DOORS.

Application filed March 9, 1925. Serial No. 14,344.

This invention relates particularly to the elevator art a-nd is especially directed to the provision of simple and effective mechanism for the operation of the floor doors of a elevator shaft.

These doors are .normally maintained in closed position and mechanism is provided whereby, when a car operator stops his car at any-particular floor, the door of such floor may be Opened to permit the entrance or exit of passengers into or from a car.

It has long been the practice to install at the several floors sliding doors which have link and lever connections with the door frame or other fixed support and are operable by the operator to effect opening and closing of the door. U

The object of the present invention is to provide operating mechanism for a slidingdoor and to so constitute such mechanism that the operation of the door is smooth and lacking in such jar or vibration as would naturally result from the slamming of the door. To this end, the operating mechanism includes cushioning devices and stop means which bring about the results desired.

One form of door operating mechanism which has been used to advantage is that whereina lever pivotedintermediate. its ends to the door is provided at one end with a handle and is connected at its otherend by a link to, the door frame, Through the operation of this lever, sliding movement is imparted to the door. In order that the dos ing movement of the door may be arrested,

it has been the practice to form on the link or lever a stop which is engaged by one or other of the parts and serves to arrest relative movement between them when the door has been fully closed. This construction has constituted a source of annoyance to 0perators who are very apt; in the closing of the door, to have their clothing or parts of their person, caught in by said stop and in* jured or crushed. Aside from this, such a structure as I have referred to must necessarily bemade quite strong and heavy and materially detracts from the appearance of the installation. 7

Inaccordance with the present invention, in contradistinction, the utilization of stop means on the link cooperating with similar stop means on the lever or vice versa are r entirely dispensed with and thearresting of the movement of the door, i. e., the bringing of it to a full stop is effected by stop means associated with a cushioning device by which the movements of the parts are gradually slowed down. By associating the stop means directly with the cushioning mechanism of the construction, I not only greatly improve on'theap'pearance of an installation, but inaterially decrease in the cost of installation, and, moreover, enable ready and accurate adustments to be made when desired.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the here.- inafterdetailed description and claims; when read conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the inventio". V

Figure 1 is an elevation of an elevator iioordoor installation embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the parts shown in Figure 1 t Referring to thedrawings, l designates one of the sliding doors of an elevator shaft, and 2 may designate a fixed part of the door frame,- or a pivoted door section adapted to be opened to allow of the movement of large articles into or out of an elevator.

3 is a support shown as an angle iron. It may be secured either to the door fraine or to the hinged door. 2, but, so far as thedoor l is concerned, the part 3 is relatively stationary. h

Mounted on the door l is a. plates secured to the door in any suitable way and forming a mounting and guidestrip for a lever 5, which i secured to the plate it by a pivot pin v6. The pivot 6 is positioned inter mediate the ends of the lever and one end of the lever is provided with a handle 7 adapted to be grasped by the operator when imparting movement to the door. The opposite end of the lever 5 is secured by a pivot 8 to a link 9, which is shown in Figure 2 as composed of two strips 9 and 9", although in practice one maybe used. The two strips collectively constitute a link, the other end of which is secured by a bolt or other form of pivotlO to the fixed support 3'. Thus through, the manipulation of the V ing movement to, the door. 1. The link 9,

during its operation functions as a tie bethe lower end of which is closed by an end plate 16, while the upper end of which is enclosed by an end plate 17. These end plates are formed to project beyond the sides of the cylinder and are clamped together by tie rods 18, the opposite ends of which are threaded to receive jamb nuts. In this manner, a cylinder closed at both ends is formed. The lower end plate 16 is provided with a depending shank or lug which is perforated to receive the pivot 12 and by this means, the cylinder is mounted on the bracket 11.

Positioned within the cylinder is any suitable cushioning means embodying an operating stem 20 which extends upwardly through the upper end plate 17, the upper portion of the piston stem is made of reduced cross section, is solid and is threaded to screw into a yoke 21 perforated to receive a pin or bolt 23, which is also passed through a depending bracket 24 secured to and depending from the link 9. Through this connection, the cushioning means is secured to the link 9, although longitudinal adjustment between the parts may be had by rotating the stem 20 to cause the threaded end of its stem to enter into the yoke for a greater or lesser extent.

It will of course be understood that when installing a device, the parts may be regulated at this threaded connection between the stem 20 and the yoke 21. In this manner, a very nice adjustment can be obtained, so that the door will move at the desired speed and will practically stop before engaging the door frame during closing movement.

In order, however, to definitely arrest the movement of the door at a predetermined point, it has been heretofore common to provide a fixed mechanical stop and these stops have invariably been carried by the door lever or the cooperating link or both. In accordance with the present invention, however, the limiting stop is carried by the cushioning device. The structure of the stop and the manner in which it is mounted on the cushioning device may gary without departing from the spirit of this invention, but a very satisfactory arrangement is shown in Figure 1.

In this constructional embodiment, one of the tie rods 18 is made to extend appreciably above the top end plate 17 and on this extended portion, which is designated 36 in the drawings, is adapted to be screwed a Stop member 37 positioned to lie in the path of the link 9. This stop member may be adjusted by rotating it on the part 36 until the link will engage with such member at the exact point in the travel of the door at which it is desired to have the door discontinue its closing movement. A jamb nut 38 screwed on to the part 36 serves as a lock nut to hold the stop member 37 in adjusted position. In practice, I have found this arrangement not only highly practical and efiicient, but free from the objections inherent in the positioning of the stop member on the lever or associated link.

The operator cannot possibly become caught or injured in the construction as illustrated, whereas with the prior art stops injury to clothing or persons is not uncommon. Furthermore, by arresting the movement of the link adjacent the cushioning device, excessive strains on the mechanism are obviated.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as fully coimnensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an assembly of the character described, the combination with a door mounted for sliding movement, and a relatively fixed support in proximity to the door, of

operative connections between the door and the fixed support for imparting movement to the door, a cushioning device associated with the fixed support and with the operative connections to cushion the operations of the door, and a stop member mounted on the cushioning device and adapted to be engaged by said operative connections for the purpose of arresting movement of the door at a predetermined point.

2. In an assembly of the character described, the combination with a door mounted for sliding movement, and a relatively fixed support positioned in proximity to the door, of link and lever connections between the door and the fixed support for imparting sliding movement to the door, a cushioning device mounted on the fixed support and secured to the link and lever connections for cushioning the operations of the lever, and a stop member mounted on the cushioning device and projecting into the path of the link and lever connections to be engaged thereby when the door is in a predetermined position.

3. In an assembly of the character described, the combination with a door mounted for sliding movement, and a fixed support positioned in proximity With the door, of a lever pivoted to the door, a link pivoted to the lever and to the fixed support, a cushioning device pivotally mounted on the fixed support and also pivotally connected to the link, and a stop member mounted on the cushioning device and projecting intothe path of the link to be engaged thereby after the door has closed to a predetermined extent.

4. Operating mechanism for elevator shaft doors embodying a manually operable lever adapted to be pivoted to a door, a link pivoted to the lever and also adapted to be pivoted to a relatively fixed support, a cushioning element mounted on the fixed support and connected to the link, and a stop car ried by the cushioning element and positioned to be engaged by the link to arrest the movement of the door.

In testimony whereof I have signed the foregoing specification.

FRANZ A. BOEDTCHER. 

